Spring Blossoms
by Katako-Chan
Summary: Inuzuka Kiba, Hanami Kaoru, a spring festival, and cheese-hamburgers. Gift fic for Kaoru Hime. KibaOC


**Author's Note:** This is a pick-me-up/gift fic for my good friend Kaoru-Chan (penname: Kaoru-Hime)! The pairing is Kiba/OC, and if you don't like it, don't read it. This is my first attempt at any fluffy and cheerful Naruto pairing, so please don't kill me. Reviews are appreciated.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto…if I did, Sasuke wouldn't be such a bastard.

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**Spring Blossoms**

_Uh…Kaoru-chan, will you go…with me, um, to the festival?_

Kaoru sighed, staring blankly up at the ceiling. When Kiba had asked her to Konoha's annual Cherry Blossom Festival a week ago, she'd been ecstatic. But now, one hour before sundown, and the start of the festival, she was feeling nervous. What if she messed up? What if she did something horribly embarrassing? The possibilities were endless. She'd always been among the less coordinated ninja, mission or not.

_Oh well…Guess there isn't anything I can do except get ready,_ Kaoru thought, dragging herself off the bed and to her desk. On the desk lay the yukata she'd spent hours dragging her teammates around the market searching for.

Slowly, and with great care, Kaoru slipped into the yukata and tied the obi. Picking up her fan, she carefully slipped it behind her into the obi.

Abruptly, there was a crisp knock on the door. Kaoru immediately thought that Kiba had arrived early, but dashed the thought when she didn't hear Akamaru's distinctive bark. Nimbly, she ran down the stairs and answered the door.

"Kaoru-chan, you look so cute!" Katako gushed, looking a little sugar high. "I guess dragging us around the market for three hours paid off, huh?"

"Um, Katako-chan…are you feeling okay?"

"Huh? Don't be silly, I feel fine! I'm just happy," Katako giggled, adjusting the collar of her pale orange yukata.

"Well, if you say so…" Kaoru murmured, letting her teammate in. "Uh, Kiba will be here soon, so you better come upstairs."

Once upstairs, the two got down to business. Katako sat Kaoru down in her desk chair, instructing her to stay still. She then proceeded to pull out the brush from her bag she brought and brush out Kaoru's long, purple hair. Afterwards, she gathered it all up and twisted it into a neat bun, before inserting a _kanzashi_ with a cherry blossom head into the mass of hair.

"There, you're all done! Now I have to get going, I promised Erikawa-chan I'd go to her house after I finished you up. Have fun with Kiba-kun!" Katako called as she walked out, waving good-bye.

Kaoru, ready to go, decided she could do nothing but wait. She looked herself over once more in the mirror, before tiptoeing downstairs to wait in the living room.

Not long after she'd finally settled her nerves so she was semi-relaxed, Kaoru heard a knock and a bark, startling her so she almost knocked over her mother's prized vase. Steadying the vase, she ran to open the door.

"Oh, uh, hello Kiba-kun!" she breathed, hoping not to sound like she'd been waiting.

"Oh…wow. Uh, hi." Kiba looked dumbstruck, slowly taking in Kaoru's creamy white yukata with cherry blossom patterns. "So, do we just go…or does you have to say good-bye to your parents first?" Kiba asked, a little on edge.

"Mom and Dad are out on an errand…and they'll probably be going to the festival soon. But, yeah, we can just go!" Kaoru smiled brightly, happy she'd managed to not mess up yet.

"Alright then! Let's go, Akamaru!"

000000000000000000000000000000000

When they arrived at the marketplace, the festival was already in full swing. Almost every flower stand had cherry blossoms on sale, pale pink paper lanterns were strung between the stands, and the air was full of delicious smells.

"Mmmm! Hey, are you hungry, Kaoru-chan? I'm sure I can find whatever you want to eat, even with so many scents!" Kiba asked while trying to impress her.

Kaoru giggled. "I am hungry…but I don't really care what we eat. How about you pick, Kiba-kun?"

"Sure, I'll be right back! C'mon, Akamaru, let's go find some food!" And with one enthusiastic shout, Kiba ran off.

Kaoru sighed, shaking her head and laughing at how much Naruto had rubbed off on Kiba. They'd all gotten stronger and his demeanor was generally more serious from the grim missions, but the playful Kiba was still there, and tonight he was present. Slowly, she browsed the shops, stopping to admire a comb or bracelet, but never buying anything.

Suddenly, Kiba appeared in front of her, holding two things wrapped in paper.

"Aah! Kiba-kun, don't do that!" Kaoru cried, almost losing her balance.

"Sorry…Umm, well, cheese hamburger?" Kiba asked, offering her one of the bundles.

They ate quietly, facing each other, but neither were bold enough to make eye contact. When they finished an awkward silence filled the air, before Akamaru broke it by barking at a figure in the distance.

"Akamaru, don't do that! It's rude to bark at people you don't know! Geez, we're not on a mission…" Kiba scolded, gently slapping Akamaru's back.

Allowing her date and his dog to argue, Kaoru slowly turned toward a stall, drawn by the trinkets spread for sale. A dark blue bracelet in particular drew her attention. Jewelry was extremely impractical for a ninja, but as a kunoichi, there would be times when she would need it. Besides, tonight, she wasn't a ninja; she was a girl at the Konoha Cherry Blossom Festival.

"Hey, Kaoru, do you want that bracelet?" Kiba asked suddenly, the argument seeming to have dissipated. "Oi, Jii-san, how much for the dark blue bracelet?"

"Eighteen ryo, young man. Not a bad price, and your pretty girlfriend here seems to fancy it!"

Kiba blushed, but handed over the money. "Um, well, here you go Kaoru-chan."

"Oh, thank you, Kiba-kun!" Kaoru replied, hugging him, and then promptly blushing.

The two spent the remainder of the festival in comfortable closeness, wandering the streets of the village. They stumbled across an area cleared for dancing, but Kaoru had begged off, not wanting to dance in _geta_.

When the sun had set completely and the festival was winding down, Kiba slowly walked Kaoru home.

"Well, thanks for asking me to the festival, Kiba-kun, I had lots of fun," Kaoru murmured, suddenly finding the pavement exceedingly interesting.

"Yeah, I had fun, too. Um, you did have fun, right, Akamaru?" Kiba had suddenly found the hazy night sky to be extremely eye catching as well.

"Well, goodnight," Kaoru whispered, shuffling her feet.

"Goodnight," Kiba replied, walking off. Suddenly, he paused in mid-step, as if frozen. Abruptly, he ran back and gave Kaoru a quick kiss on the lips before dashing off down the street, Akamaru barking after him.

Blinking, Kaoru gently tapped a finger on her lower lip, before quickly whipping the door open the closed. Slowly she sank to the floor, a small smile playing on her lips.

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**Ending Note:** Well, I hope everyone liked it…especially Kaoru-chan, my very bestest buddy! Review, PLEASE! 


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